Woman killed, nearly decapitated; another slashed in Brooklyn

The building at the Bushwick Houses in Brooklyn where the police said a woman was killed and another was seriously injured early on Saturday, April 20, 2019. (Photo via The New York Times)

A woman has been brutally murdered and another severely injured in an attack inside an apartment in Brooklyn, New York City, according to the police.

Officers found the body of 20-year-old Savannah Rivera early Saturday with her head nearly-decapitated and her fingers severed.

Rivera's friend, Angela Valle, 21, suffered a life-threatening blade chop to the back of her head, along with gashes to her chest, arms, stomach and throat. Valle managed to call for an Uber outside the housing complex, the police said.

Police also found a 4-year-old girl unharmed in a rear bedroom, who is reportedly the daughter of Valle. The child was taken to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center.

Police recovered an ax covered in blood from a trash compactor in the housing development, however, it was not clear if it was used by the attacker, who was later identified as Jerry Brown, 34, the surviving woman’s ex-boyfriend.

Brown was arrested in Manhattan in the afternoon and charged with murder, attempted murder and weapons possession.